News

Maximizing the Impact of Student-Run Campus Consultancies

ILLINOIS STATE HAS CREATED A CENTRALIZED, CROSS-DISCIPLINARY HUB TO COORDINATE STUDENTS’ EXTRACURRICULAR PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY.

ONE STAPLE AT many of today’s business schools is the student consultancy project, in which cross-disciplinary student teams help real-world businesses solve pressing problems. But finding and coordinating a large number of such extracurricular projects can be a complex logistical challenge, says Jim Jones of the College of Business at Illinois State University in Normal—and it’s equally challenging to find and organize the right students for each job……..more

December 15th, 2017 by Academic Impressions

How did ISU gain insight and direction to develop its extracurricular, interdisciplinary project-based student
professional development experience?

Illinois State University recognized that today:

Students need to enter the workforce with the experience and skills to navigate ambiguity and collaborate across disciplines

Employers seek increasingly to hire students who are skilled at collaboration, working with cross-disciplinary teams, and solving real-world problems for the industry.

ICC tackles diverse projects, builds skills

With 38 students hailing from 18 different academic disciplines, this past academic year, Illinois State University’s Innovation Consulting Community offered a unique opportunity for students to collaborate, solve real-world problems, and to further distinguish themselves.

Participating students presented at the first annual ICC Symposium held April 7. This year’s projects and corresponding presentations dealt with issues such as autonomous vehicles, electric mobility, creating a digital map of sustainability assets, robotics, social media strategies for a major league baseball team and understanding …….more